


Together - A PJO Collab

by eding42



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Character Death, Death-T, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-09 08:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11665530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eding42/pseuds/eding42
Summary: “We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again.”A PJO Collaboration between eding420, Hazel Knight, and LittleMunchkin101 (aka "Me")A rewrite and continuation of "Wise Girl", by eding420.





	1. Prologue - eding420

**Hi guys! This is a collaboration with Hazel Knight, and LittleMunckin101, whom I met over on Quotev.**

**This will be a rewrite and continuation of my first fanfic, Wise Girl.**

**Yep.**

**Wise Girl is now, officially complete, as a two-shot.**

**Nice, huh?**

**-eding420**

_  
_

_since the day I saw you_   


_since the day we met_

_i knew i wouldn’t forget_

_i have loved you more than life itself_

_now it seems like its falling apart_

_this thing that just wont go away_

_was more then you could take_

_but i’ll hold on tight_

_past the very end_

_no matter how much it hurt_

_i held your hand_

_all through the night,_   


_never to let go._

_i wake up_

_and you were no longer here,_

_i’m haunted_

_by these memories_

_of you and me,_

_as a tear falls_

_down my face_

_i remember_

_you will be here_

_holding my hand_

_all through the night_

_like i did yours_

_but most of all_

_you will always be in my heart._

_Written by Samantha Bennett, edited by eding420_


	2. Death - eding420

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth dies...
> 
> ples don't kill me.
> 
> A rewrite of Wise Girl

**Hi! eding420 here, with a heavily edited version of Part 1 of Wise Girl.**

**Enjoy!**

  


Everything going was fine, until Annabeth got stabbed.

The battle raged all around the demigods. Annabeth quickly surveyed the scene. 

Unfortunately, the demigods were heavily outnumbered.

As usual.

She shuddered, feeling the déjà vu wash over her.

She couldn't help thinking 

She couldn't help thinking back. 

Years back. 

_A last stand_

_Stabbed_   


_Poisoned knife_

_Ethan_

_Percy_

She had saved Percy’s life.  


_“You would have done the same for me…”  
_

Annabeth unsheathed her trusty drakon bone sword.

 _Playtime_.

A hellhound suddenly leaped at her, viciously snarling. 

Four hundred pounds of black fur and muscle.

Annabeth spun around, and slashed upwards, slicing the skull clean in half. 

The hellhound disintegrated into shiny dust, and blew away in the breeze.

The demigods were divided into two groups.The main body rallied around the Athena Parthenos, atop Half-Blood Hill, contained the bulk of Camp Half-Blood, along with the First and Fifth Cohorts of the Twelfth Legion. The other three cohorts were located some distance away, taking the brunt of the attack. Unfortunately for Annabeth, that was also where she was.  


"Greeks!" roared a voice to her immediate right.

"Lets, um, fight stuff!"

_Percy_

There he stood, as strong as ever. Sea-green eyes, tall frame, broad shoulders. He had never looked so magnificently beautiful. Percy had gained a couple of relatively minor cuts and bruises like everyone else had, but he had hardly noticed them.

Annabeth had had a crush on him since they were twelve.

She could still remember the day when he half-dragged himself onto the porch of the Big House and promptly collapsed. He had been dirty, and his clothes were torn up and cut from combat. He had killed the Minotaur, on his first day in camp, _without an actual weapon._ Many of the campers were jealous. Many of them had been waiting for years for a stupid quest, but this little newbie ends up slaying the fucking Minotaur, one of the most fearsome monsters in all of Greek Mythology.

But for Annabeth, it was love at first sight.

She had been watching him sleep, like the creepy stalker she was, when he suddenly woke.

"You drool when you sleep" she had said.

She had wanted to slap herself

The two of them started dating soon after the Battle of Manhattan.

Aphrodite had called them her favorite couple, and then ran off, screaming something about "Percabeth." Ugh.

Then Hera just _had_ to whisk him away to that wretched Roman camp, erasing all of his memories, too.

Which gave Annabeth another reason to despise her.

Now they were back together again, surviving a fall into _Hell itself._

She had thought the Underworld was bad.

Percy had talked about his dreams for the future.

College in New Rome.

Starting a family.

**(A/N Ok, my first fight scene. *deep breath* *deep breath*)**

Annabeth was shaken out of her thoughts by a hideous yell. She glanced up, just in time to see an empousa charge at her, screaming bloody murder, curved sword raised high above her head. 

Annabeth raised her sword, and expertly parried the blow. 

She feinted to the left, and thrust her sword into the abdomen of the monster.

The monster wailed and dissolved into glitter, and blew away in the warm breeze.

A shout went up through the crowd as the two groups of demigods, slicing through everything in their path, merged into one.

Leo had long disappeared into the clouds with his bronze dragon. Annabeth wasn’t sure how Leo had managed to repair him. The Argo II hadn’t been so lucky. Annabeth was surprised that it had held out for so long, after being slapped halfway across the world by Zeus.

Hmm. Maybe she _had_ underestimated the annoying Son of Hephaestus.

Looking to her left, she noted Jason shooting into the sky, Piper by his side.

Fortunately, Piper wasn’t your average child of Aphrodite.

 _“A blond Superman”_ Percy had called him.

He was such seaweed brain sometimes.

Annabeth jogged over to where Percy was standing, a couple yards to her right. He was simultaneously fighting two cyclops. Percy glanced towards her as she approached, and a big grin lit up his face, from ear to ear. Annabeth couldn’t help but smile back. He quickly impaled the first cyclops in the stomach, pulled out Riptide, and brutally beheaded the second, Riptide glistening 

He leaned in for a quick kiss.

“You know I love you.”  


“Yes I do. Now get moving”

“My pleasure.”

The two leapt into action as one, covering each other’s backs like the old buddies they were.




Percy quickly charged a centaur, and brought his sword down, before moving on the the next. He swung Riptide in an arc, vaporizing the first row of monsters.

Annabeth fought her own set of monsters, a couple of feet away from Percy. The two already knew the other’s battle styles and strategies.

An ogre ran at her with his club. Annabeth sidestepped the clumsy monster, and plunged her scary sword into its ribs.. The ogre wailed hideously as it dissolved into dust.

Around her, the battle raged on, a tiny island of demigods in the middle of a sea of baddies, as Leo would probably remark.

“Repellere Equites!” Frank yelled, barely audible over the din of the hoard.

The Twelfth Legion raced forwards, demolishing a massive herd of centaurs, their spears bright with monster blood.

 _This isn’t so bad,_ Annabeth thought, as she parried a blow from a dracaena

Famous last words.

Annabeth finished off the empousa, pausing to take a breath.

Fluffy clouds floated in the blue sky.

Long Island Sound sparkled under the sun.

For a moment, Annabeth was at peace.

Under the sunlight.

_  
_

_Just one last battle_

_Just one last fight_

_left_

_in this world_

_  
_

XxXxXxX

  


Everything went _very_ wrong, _very_ quickly.

She had just finished off another monster, dust swirling in magical patterns around her feet.

But tragedy struck.

Pain, _sharp_ pain flared in her lower back, cold and sharp.

Annabeth gasped, the very tip of a sharp sword jutting through the front of her orange shirt, just below her rib cage. She fell to her knees, swaying a little.

Time seemed to slow.

The world seemed too bright, the colors too vivid, the smells too pungent.

But Annabeth knew, deep down, that she wasn’t going to make it out of this one.

It was the end of the line.

Did it bother her?

Yes, a little. 

But she had come to terms with her inevitable death, long ago.

The life of a demigod held certain, _risks._

Sooner or later, everything would stop.

Everything had to end.

And world moved on.

Round and round.

It spun.

  


XxXxXxX

  


Ahead, Percy was finishing up his own cluster of monsters.

He turned his head, a proud smile already on his face.

His eyes widened.

“NO!” Percy cried out, in pure agony..

He sprints towards her, arm and hand outstretched.

So far away.

  


XxXxXxX

  


The all-powerful Annabeth Chase, stabbed, dying?

Still hard to stomach.

“Annabeth!” 

Percy runs.

Horror is evident on his face. 

She barely registers his sword passing over her, the monster dissolving into shiny dust.

“Shit… stay still”

She nods, weakly.

_The struggles I face,_ _are day to day_

She doesn’t flinches as he pulls the sword out of her, inch by inch, until it hits the grass with a muffled clang. She topples to one side, a pool of magenta collecting beneath her, staining her clothes.

_Are struggles that won’t seem to fade away_

Percy pulls her into his lap.

The pain is dull, which surprises her.

“Well, this sucks.”

He can’t help but crack a smile.

Just a little. 

“I thought I was the jokester around here.”

“You are.”

The world spins around her, colors blending, shapes indistinct.

She groans.

“Stay with me, Annabeth.”

He turns to the nearest camper, and yells for a medic.

He’s staying strong for her, and she knows it. He starts to dig through his pockets for a sip of nectar, maybe some insignificant morsel of ambrosia. 

All for her, of course.

He loves her, more than anything else.

And she knows, because she loves him too. 

More than anything else.

The Fates are cruel, cold-hearted bastards.

_I wake in the morning, and what do I see_

She doubles over, coughing, bright red staining the corners of her mouth, stabs of bright pain jolting her consciousness

Her vision swims, distorts.

He knows that his efforts are futile, that Thanatos is probably looking over his shoulder, silently observing.

_A lost little girl, mourning to be_




He holds her hand, tears slipping from his eyes. He is forever haunted.

_Drip, drip._

She can feel her life ebbing away, drop by drop, into the grassy ground.

Annabeth has never, never, in all of her short demigod life, believed in sappy death scenes.

But now, she doesn’t know _what_ to think.

Especially since _thinking_ was getting more and more difficult. 

“I’ll stay with you until the end, okay?”

“I love you, Seaweed Brain. F-forever and a-aways.”

“Me too. Forever and always.”

The stream of tears turns into a gushing river.

She had saved his life countless times, fought by his side in _two fucking wars_. He feels _so_ helpless. Her bright hair is stained magenta.

The world dissolves around them.

The pain is gone now.

She is cold.

Percy’s face, hovering above is barely visible.

Quickly losing focus.

Dammit. 

“Percy.” She whispers, just loud enough for him to hear.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“I’ll… w-wait…for you…”

And with that, Annabeth felt herself sinking through the ground, already on the way.

  


XxXxXxX

  


He kneels there, holding the broken form of the girl he had loved.

Her blood, caking his jeans.

Her blood, soaking his sneakers.

Her blood, soaking his orange shirt.

He lets out a strangled cry, for everything that he’s gained, and for everything that he’s lost.

Nothing seemed to matter.

He would have ended his own life, right then and there. 

But that was not what _she_ would have wanted.

 _He_ is forever haunted.

Perseus Jackson, is broken.

  


  


_If I could have just one more day and_  
wishes did come true,  
I'd spend every glorious moment  
side by side with you.  
Recalling all the years we shared  
and memories we made,  
how grateful I would be  
to have just one more day.  
Where the tears I've shed are  
not in vain and only fall in bliss,  
so many things I'd let you know  
about the days you've missed.  
I wouldn't have to make pretend  
you never went away,  
how grateful I would be to  
have just one more day.  
When that day came to a close  
and the sun began to set,  
a million times I'd let you know  
I never will

_forget._

  


**Aww, well. This took weeks to write, and a lot of encouragement from Hazel Knight. The various poems I used, except for**

_Just one last battle_

_Just one last fight_

_left_

_in this world_

**were found on the internet. Not mine!**


	3. Friends - LittleMunchkin101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by LittleMunchkin101

"Percy! WATCH OUT!!" he heard Thalia call out, a monster crumbling into dust behind him. "What the he—" that's when she saw Annabeth. "N-no. Annabeth!" Thalia fell next to Annabeth, holding back tears. She was trying to be strong, but you could very clearly see the pain hidden in her face. 

 

"I-I'm going to bring her away from the battle," Percy managed to getout. He picked her up and walked away, leaving Thalia to mourn. Tears were blocking his vision as he stumbled away from the battle. Thalia returned to the battle, fighting more fiercely than ever to avenge Annabeth. Percy found a somewhat quiet spot near the lake. He laid her down, shed some tears, slipped a drachma in her pocket, and slowly walked away.

 

**After the battle...**

Everyone was scattered about, many Apollo campers were tending to the injures. Percy returned, carrying Annabeth after finding her where he left her. Many of the Romans didn't look twice, obviously feeling bad about the deaths, but they didn't know her. Percy reached where the dead were, and laid her down.

Piper looked over and saw Annabeth laying there. Her mouth fell open, and she ran over, tears already falling. She sat down by Annabeth, devastated. Annabeth was the first friend she met at Camp Half-Blood when she came here, and Annabeth had opened up to Piper about how worried she was about Percy. 

 

"H-how?" Piper asked.

 

"A sword in her back. " Percy answered after a moment of deep breathing.

By then, the Athena cabin, Frank, Hazel, Jason, Thalia, Leo, many other campers were gathered around Annabeth. They knew her as an amazing leader, a great friend, and they all knew they were going to miss her. A lot. There were many tears, and Percy had to walk away to escape the sadness.

The Athena Cabin didn't want to replace her as head counselor, and their cabin probably wouldn't be as organized as it was with Annabeth.

Rachel remembered how they hadn't really gotten along at first, but she remember how Annabeth had saved her life in the first Titan war on the helicopter, and how after that summer, Annabeth was super nice to Rachel.

Thalia and Annabeth were the best of friends, and they had known each other since before they had even made it to Camp Half-Blood. 

And Percy, they were the best of friends, even more than friends, and he felt like his life was over. His heart had been ripped in to a million pieces and stomped on till there was nothing left, then scattered all over so the wind took it with them. He knew that he would never love again after this.


	4. In the Underworld - Hazel Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written by Hazel Knight

Annabeth found herself outside a very familiar black marble building with golden words etched on the side. 

_NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING._

Her throat contracted as she realized that this time, she actually belonged here. She was actually dead. How could she have been so stupid? Anyone could have seen that sword coming, but she had thought those final cursed words- _This isn't so bad-_ basically the equivalent of "I think we're safe." Choking back tears, she held her head high and swung open the door. The same music from 6 years ago played quietly in the background, far too cheerful for all of the dead people in the room.

She marched up to the podium, much closer to the greedy idiot behind it than when she was 11. "Hey, Chiron," she said, just to tick him off.

He just rolled his eyes behind his dark shades. In his British accent, he said, "I told you it would be your turn soon, young lady. Didn't I?" 

Annabeth wasn't in the mood. "I know there's no stopping it," she said through her teeth. "Just get me to the Underworld, Charon.

It was like she was a regular at Starbucks. Annabeth knew the routine. 

He held out his hand. "Payment?"

She blinked at him.  _No._ Did she not have any drachmas on her? Was she going to wait here for centuries, while all of her friends died and were reborn, expecting to find her in the Underworld? She made a big show of patting down my pockets, as if she just couldn't seem to find the money which she just had, Mr. Charon, I swear.

Annabeth smiled nervously at him, frantically thinking of something to say that could get her out of this. Her brain had turned off. Dark thoughts kept running through her head. You'll never see them again. You're doomed to stay here for all eternity. You'll never be with the one you love most again.

No, she corrected myself. You'll never be with Percy again. She couldn't believe it, after all that they'd been through together.

Raw determination rushed through her blood. She  _would_ see him again. She wouldn't rest until she did. And when she found him, she would never let him get away from her, never again.

Just as she was about to push her dagger to his throat (not that it would do any good....seeing as he was immortal) and demand to be let on his stupid ferry, she felt something hard in her pocket. She pulled it out in shock. A coin. A golden drachma.

_Seaweed Brain,_  she thought, tearing up.

She tried to make her expression harden as she stared Charon in the eyes, knowing that she would crack if she though about Percy any longer.  _I need to be strong, for my friends, for Percy._ "There," she hissed, her voice breaking. "Happy now?"

She flicked the coin at him, and he caught it greedily. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Elevator," she said, barely able to contain the pain in her voice. "Now."

He scowled at her. "This way." He gave her a thin smile. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Annabeth took a few slow, deep breaths and then followed Charon through the crowd of waiting spirits. She ignored the spirits grabbing at her, aching to be pulled along. She felt empty inside. Who was she without Percy?

_I am a daughter of Athena._

She let out a sigh.

_I've survived monsters of all kinds and deadliness since I was  7 ._

_I've journeyed to the Ancient Lands to save the world._

_I HAVE saved the world countless times._

_I have followed the Mark of Athena where no one has ever ventured before._

_I have fought against my mother's worst enemy and come out alive._

_I journeyed through Tartarus with no weapon and only my own wits._

She closed her eyes.  _And Percy._

She choked a bit. She quickly shook the thought out of her head.

_I stopped World War III._

_I ventured through the Sea of Monsters to find the Golden Fleece._

_I fought in the Battle of the Labyrinth._

_I helped us win against the Titans._

_I am Annabeth Chase, and I am unstoppable._

A tender thought flooded her mind.

  _I'll see him in Elysium,_ she thought, a small smile forming on her lip. _It's only a matter of time._  She wiped her eyes and pushed her shoulders back. 

_I'm ready._

_*************************************************************************_

The three judges stood before her in golden masks and flowing black robes, staring down at Annabeth judgmentally from their bench.

No questions were asked. They simply started discussing her life.

"Hmm," the first judge said thoughtfully. "Helped to defeat the Titans in the war."

"Found the Athena Parthenos and journeyed through Tartarus," chimed in the third.

The second tutted. "Rather idiotic way to die, though, if you ask me."

Annabeth seethed at that remark, mostly because she knew that it was true.

"Never mind that. The child died fighting the Giants, and prevented many other deaths throughout her lifetime. Elysium."

The process was a lot quicker than she imagined. She barely processed a thing that had happened until she was being ushered through the pavilion.

**Note- This is where I kind of start making things up since I don't know exactly what Elysium looks like.**

A gigantic, ornamental gate swung open before Annabeth. In a trance, she walked through them, gawking at what surrounded her.  Large Roman villas lined the cobblestone roads, trees and flowers bordered the sidewalks, and, in the distance, Annabeth could even make out a few medieval castles. She strolled in awe down the road way, the smell of barbecue drifting into her nose and making her mouth water.

It was then that she noticed the signs in front of each house.

_Michael Yew_

_Lee Fletcher_

_Charles Beckendorf_

_Silena Beauregard_

She blinked at them.  _Oh my gods._

They were here! All of them! All of her fallen friends. They hadn't gone for rebirth yet.

_Luke._ Was he here? Her face brightened at the thought. 

Her feelings for Luke were...complicated to say the least, but she was over her crush on him now. Living without Luke hadn't been anything like being without Percy. She scanned every house, but no Luke.

Then again, Elysium was probably bigger than Annabeth could ever fathom. The dead outnumbered the living by a  _lot_.

She decided that she would find him eventually, if he was still here, while she waited for Percy.

_Oh gods. Percy._ Was he ok? Would he be smart about this?  _Please don't do anything stupid, Seaweed Brain,_ Annabeth silently prayed.

She came to a stop in front of another Roman villa, only the sign read:  _Annabeth Chase._

Her hands flew to her mouth. She had her own home- a temporary one at least, her old friends close by again, and an eternity to wait for Percy. Plus free barbecue. 

_Well, Seaweed Brain, nothing left to do now except wait._


	5. Reunion - eding420

It took years. 

 

Decades.

 

Centuries,

 

Millennia.

 

But they all followed.

  
  


Thalia Grace, an arrow through the spine. 

 

Piper McLean, old age.

 

Percy Jackson, a broken heart. 

 

XxXxXxX

  
  


Paradise was less brutal with her long-lost friends, but Annabeth still longed for one person. 

 

Everything was so much different back then.

 

So she simply waited and watched.

  
  


XxXxXxX (Following Section Written by Hazel Knight)

 

Life never goes as planned. It was the only way to explain all of the crazy stuff that had happened to Percy.

 

Did he plan to find out that his father was an ancient, barnacle encrusted pagan god?

 

No.

 

Did he plan to have his mother kidnapped and dragged to the Underworld as a hostage?

 

Of course not!

 

Did he want to travel around the world, risking his life for the sake of immortals that didn’t give a single drachma about him?

 

No freaking way! 

 

Did he choose to lose the love of his life doing so?

 

_ Annabeth. _

 

_ If only. _

 

A monotonous beep echoed through his skull.

 

He remembered now.

 

A heart attack.

 

Sirens.

 

_ Annabeth. _

 

Flashing lights.

 

An ambulance rushing him to the hospital.

 

_ Annabeth Chase. _

 

The gurney speeding him through the hallways.

 

_ Is it my time? _

 

Being hooked up to a metal monster.

 

His life ebbing away, bit by bit.

_ Drop by drop. _

 

_ Will I see her again? _

 

Sounds and colors floated through his mind, not being processed in the slightest.

 

He was an excited little boy, once more.

 

He was finally going to see her again.

 

_ Annabeth,  _ he thought, anticipation overtaking him. 

 

_ I’m coming. _

  
  


XxXxXxX

  
  


The end is much like the beginning, peace and quiet, at last. 

 

_ This wasn’t so bad.  _

 

And when he opens his eyes, he knows deep, deep down that he is dead.

 

It feels weird. 

The journey is over. 

 

He tries to remember, but can’t.

 

All shapes, and sounds.

 

They’re there, but scrambled, just a hint of reality.

 

He lifts his head, and looks around, and sure enough, sees a very familiar room.

 

_ No Solicitors _

 

_ No Loitering _

 

_ No Living _

 

He takes a tentative step forward, sneakers slightly sinking into the lush grey carpet.

 

Percy is slightly disappointed. 

 

He lifts his forearm, a little. 

 

It works normally, but if he looked at it long enough - there! - it seemed… almost transparent.

 

The realization hit him like a speeding train.

_ I’m dead. _

 

_ I’m actually dead. _

 

It is a strange sensation, to realize that you’ll never take another shaky breath, your heart will never beat again, you’ll never be able to  _ physically touch  _ a living person as long as you live (or die).

 

Time slows down as he processes all of this new information. He feels as if he is frozen in this moment, forever.

 

Eternity is a scary thing. 

 

His head aches like hell, but he pushes away the pain and makes his way through the crowd to a familiar podium in the middle of the room.

 

Charon looks up from a copy of  _ Time _ , tortoiseshell shades slightly askew. He raises an eyebrow, obviously bored.

 

“Yes?”

 

Percy closes his eyes, ready for the moment he’s been waiting for since he was seventeen. 

 

“I need to get to the Underworld.”

 

“Well, that’s refreshing.”

  
  
  


“You know who I am.”

 

“Yes, unfortunately I do. I told you it would be your turn soon, young man, didn’t I?”

 

He lets out a small, bitter chuckle.

 

“Yeah, that’s great and all, but did…” His voice trails away at her name.

 

Charon gives him a knowing look.“Yes, she came through a while ago. Was extremely rude, too.”

 

“But you let her in, right?”

 

“Yes, I did.” 

 

Charon extends his long, bony fingers towards him.

 

He digs into his pockets, and pulls out a drachma, sending out a quick prayer.

 

He has never been so glad to see a coin in his entire existence. He pushes it into Charon’s hand.

 

“There.”

 

“This way.” 

  
Charon steps off his podium, and strolls towards the elevators. 

 

Percy follows him, hands in pockets. 

 

The descent is a quiet event, surrounded by dead people, all anxious to take Percy’s spot on Charon’s boat. Earlier in life, he might have been scared for his safety, but too much had happened to Percy for him to be frightened by much of anything

 

Memories stream back, one by one. 

 

_ “What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?’ _

 

_ “The River Styx, it’s so…” _

 

_ She grabbed hold of my hand. She wanted reassurance that somebody else was alive on this boat.  _

 

Percy smiles at that one.

 

_ Not anymore. _

 

Percy isn’t able to fully notice the spirits grappling at his shirt. He might as well be floating.  _ Annabeth. He was actually going to see her again. _

 

He gazes at the flowing stretch of grayish water below him. __   
  


 

Another ghost bump into Percy, making him jump.

  
  


He steps out, onto black sand.

 

Left, right.

 

Left, right. 

 

Left, right. It should’ve been simple.

 

_ \-- a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike. _

 

He steps forward, into the ATTENDANT ON DUTY line. He remembers enough for that. 

 

He isn’t sure how long it had been. 

 

Time is irrelevant down in the depths. 

 

But as the front of the line drew closer, he starts to recall his last visit to the Underworld.  

 

_ “There’s a court for dead people?” _

 

_ “Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sites on the bench. King MInos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare - people like that.” _

 

He hopes that he doesn’t get Minos for a judge.

  
  


And then Percy sees Cerberus, his old buddy.

 

“Hey, old pal.”

 

“WOOF!”

 

“Yeah, sorry, no red rubber balls this time. But I’ll play with you if I get the time, okay?”

 

“WOOF!”

 

“Yeah. Okay.”

 

Percy strolls ahead, towards the judges pavilion. 

 

It is a beautiful day, by Underworld standards. 

 

The cavern roof glows a sinister red. 

 

_ The dead aren’t scary. _

 

_ They’re just sad _ . 

 

He waits.

  
  


XxXxXxX

  
  


“Next!”   


He shuffles forward, entering the Judging Hall. 

 

Three tall, cloaked figures sit before him, golden masks glowering at him from their podium.

 

“Perseus Jackson,” murmurs one.

 

“We’ve been expecting you,” says the second. 

 

“It’s a surprise you’ve survived this long, to be honest,” says the third, dryly. 

 

“Saved Olympus from the Titans.”

 

“Helped to stop Gaea from rising.”

 

“Risked death multiple times for the sake of his friends and family.”

 

“Didn’t die to save anyone, though,” adds the third disdainfully.

 

The second waves her hand at the third. “You’re being unfair to this young man. I think that we can all agree that he deserves Elysium. Next!” she hollers.

  
  


XxXxXxX

  
  


He walks along the path to Elysium, full of energy, full of  _ life _ .

 

He can’t wait to talk to  _ her. _

 

There are so many things he wants to say. 

 

It’s a new beginning, a new life. 

 

For once, they might have gotten lucky. 

 

But who knows?

 

A long time ago - a very long time ago -  _ she _ gave him a kiss for luck.

 

Nothing could stop him from sprinting through the golden gate, exhilarated by what was on the other side.  _ Who  _ was on the other side.

 

Somewhere out there,  _ she _ is waiting, and finally -  _ finally -  _ he is here.

  
  


_ You came to me  _

 

_ I came to you _

 

_ I was lost, and _

 

_ You found me _

  
  


**This is heavily inspired by Three by icy roses on fanfiction.net.**

  
  


**Also, I’ve entered this into the 2017 Wattys, so wish me luck!**

 

**I might add in the actual reunion soon.**

 

**Be sure to review, because I have one review on this entire story as of 8/2/17.**


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